There were no spectacular, multi-car wrecks. In the spring, the race produced several Bristol-sized versions of The Big One, but Saturday’s race could not offer a repeat. The most dramatic was Clint Bowyer’s tire coming completely off its axle and landing on his hood as he slid near the wall out of turn 4.

(And if you think it’s wrong to bring that up, come on. We know better. Part — how much is debatable, but there’s no question it’s some part — of NASCAR’s appeal is watching cars do things they shouldn’t be doing and thanking the heavens that the driver walks away.)

There were no fits of rage, though the possibility was much-discussed in the pre-race network coverage. (And, in fairness, by me too.) One of the Ganassi drivers — Reed Sorenson or David Stremme, both of whom were involved in wrecks — was upset that Joe Nemechek “just ran over us,” or something to that effect, but controversy was held to a minimum.

It was a boring race, boring by any standards and nearly unwatchable by Bristol’s lofty standards. Mike Griffith of the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel nails it with this column.

Griffith says the talk afterwards surrounded how the race affected the points, not the usual Bristol hijinks.

Since that’s really all that’s left to talk about: Mark Martin sank like an anchor and is now in the precarious 10th position in the standings. Another bad race for Tony Stewart could put his chance to repeat in serious jeopardy. Back in 11th, Kasey Kahne ran well, finishing 12th, but still lost ground. He’s now 90 points behind Martin, who ran 28th.

Beyond Kahne, Greg Biffle is in 12th, a whopping 251 points behind Martin. Biffle may not officially be eliminated, but 251 points will be all but impossible to overcome in two races. If Biffle won at California and led the most laps (for 190 points) and Martin finished dead last, Biffle would still trail by 95 points going to Richmond.

With Kahne the only driver with a realistic chance at racing into the Chase, California and Richmond will determine who’s the odd man out.

While much of the hectic drama has been eliminated — the focus is solely on nine drivers, since Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson have clinched spots in the Chase — the final two races won’t be as chaotic, but will still be fun to watch.